Price Check: Xbox 360 Vs. PS3

Last August I tallied up the "Xbox 360 experience" on Kotaku. The idea at the time was that while the Xbox 360 was as little as $300, that didn't really deliver the full experience and even $400 didn't give you everything you really needed to fully appreciate the Xbox 360.

What if I don't want HD-DVD -$199. What if I don't want wireless -$100. What if the PS3 internet is not free, limited like Nintendo (only first party will support online play for now), is too laggy or suck? What if HDMI is not required to play games on HD (which is why the cheaper PS3 SKU don't have one)? What if you get deals like the one here ($349): http://360-deals.com/blogs/... What if the 360 gets a price drop in November? What if the 360 have more games than the PS3? What if the 360 allows you to make your own game (XNA and game studio) and the PS3 does not? What if the PS3 keep getting downgraded and there is no apparent different in graphics to the 360? what if the PS3 gets delayed in Europe till march or later? what if no one can get a PS3 because there are massive shortage at launch. .....

Bottom line is, no matter how people would like to put it, cheaper is cheaper. Who ever is going to by a PS3 will and they are entitle to do wherever they want with their money. The same goes with the 360. There are too many variables that make a person want a console over the other. Price comparison it's just simply stupid.

It's obvious that the big issue here is the HD drive. No matter what Sony says, it's not needed for games. I choose not to buy one for my 360. PS3 owners don't have that choice. I'll take that extra $200 and buy more games.

The article fails to mention the fact that many people dont want a blu ray player and an hd dvd player. Microsoft is giving its customers a choice, unlike sony who is forcing blu ray down everyone's throats.

Gamer one -- the poor lonely student: Don't need online play and will only play his new console by himself on his good old SD TV. No wireless is needed because he practically sits on top of his TV. He insists on getting a X360 or PS3. Will play on his new console for the next two years, and expects to use savepoints in games regularly.

Gamer two -- the hardcore gamer: Likes online play, downloads and sitting in front of his bigscreen SD TV with a couple of his mates. Wireless controllers is a preference because it's just easier when sitting in a group. He doesn't need WiFi because he gets internet-access via cable-modem. He will play on his console for atleast two years. He couldn't care less about a headset.

Gamer three -- the tech-head: Everything has got to be top-notch. Need WiFi because his internet-access is in his office and it's WiFi already. Loves watching HD-content on his new bigscreen HD TV, but hasn't acquired a HD-player yet and he doesn't mind to connect through component-cables. Loves playing online, downloading demos and all that stuff. He regularly invites his mates over for some intense gaming. He will play on his console for atleast two years. He expects to download loads of demos, videos and other content, so 20GB just doesn't cut it -- 60GB is probably more like his sweet spot. He'll probably store some of hit personal photos and music on it as well or use it together with his Mediacenter PC in the office. He wants to chat vocally online.

Now to the price comparrison. To make it fair and easy, all prices are SRP and rounded:

So for two of the three "gamers", the PS3 is actually a pretty good bargain, and with the PS3 comes a Blu-Ray drive. Disclaimer!!! I know DVD-drives can give faster gameloading than Blu-Ray drives, but the PS3 has got a harddrive for caching as standard and got more space for content, so for this example I think those arguments evens out. I know not everybody needs wireless controllers, but most I know have bought them, and this is just an example. For those stating 20GB is enough, again this is an example, and I personally don't know anybody who hasn't filled their 13GB free space to the brim. If one were to upgrade the harddrive to more than 60GB, it would be considerably cheaper on PS3 because of it using standard harddrives. The headset is in the PS3-pack because it's free in the X360 Premium pack. Since HDMI is not necessary for the coming two years and it's apparently not on the HD-DVD drive for X360, I've skipped it in this comparison.

Personally I'm gamer three without the headset and Mediacenter but with HDMI....

are a little out of whack. My 360 premium cost me 359.00. My two years of Xbox Live cost me $70 ($35 x 2). I still haven't seen anything to suggest that Sony's online service is going to be free. That's a pretty big assumption. Actually, I hope it is because then Microsoft will be forced to offer their service for free in order to compete. I just don't think Sony's going to be able to do it. At least not with any kind of quality and certainly not at launch.

I do state SRP... One might be able to find the PS3 cheaper than the SRP as well... So to make it even-stephens I use the SRP's... But even with your "special internet deal" reduction, it's still just about the same for both systems for gamer two and still a lot cheaper for gamer three to go with PS3.

My 360 was $400.00, $19.99 x2 for play and charge kits, all the games I have bought collective = 6 games total $360.00 and 1 year of xbl. $50.00 total =$850.00 w/o tax. Not bad right. I also got madden free and kameo free too. (Kameo was a good game real fun.) So 8 games but i did not pay for them. I do not need wifi so I did not buy. The BR/HD DVD thing is over rated untill the movie selection beefs up

Just to start with the PS3 $600.00 because I would not want the retard pack. 2x games $120.00. Extra Joystick because I have friends and family $50.00. Charger cables? I do not know how much they will cost Sony has not told us yet. So I will guess for 2 of them $40.00. Total $810.00 just to satart.

PS3 Would cost me $810.00 360 did cost me $840.00 for my 1st year of being an owner.

Only two games and I will be with in $40.00 of where I am with my 360 today and I've played 8+ games and bought XBL subscriptions too. It just dose not even out right. HD DVD play back is not as important and HD games. The only reason why people argue over this is because the PS3 comes BR ready btu seems to me to be lacking in the games department.

I think that you should not even use Sony's Live service as an option, though. I've seen nothing lately regarding it and, unless someone can convince me otherwise, am going to lean towards it not being free if it will exist at all.

You are off with your prices. Look closely and see I only state the price on the consoles and not the games, since your choice in games may differ from mine. I might be completely satisfied with XBL Arcade games at $5 a piece, while you'll go for the big $60 games. And so far there is no indication pricing on games will differ by much if any between the systems (I have read the interview stating PS3 games will be more expensive than $50 -- well, so are the X360 games).

AND I do state that for a hardcore gamer (gamer two) the X360 amounts to $589 and that is with two years of XBL (I guess you would agree that you'll play your X360 for atleast two years online -- otherwise it would be a pretty bad investment or XBL not really be what you had hoped for).

Now on to the PS3, where you seem pretty misinformed. The PS3 "Core" actually resembles the X360 Premium in every regard (except for the headset), so no need to spend $600 on a "premium" when $500 will suffice for a good gaming machine.

The wireless controllers gets charged through standard USB connectors/cables as stated on the official PS3-website. I'm pretty confident those will be included, but if not, they'll be cheap at your local wallmart -- not $20 cheap.

So it's still just $549 for the PS3 as I've stated above.

If you still disagree and believe the $600 PS3 is the only one for you, then check out my gamer three comparison, because then you seriously would need to pimp your X360 as well.

The only point you are completely and utterly correct about, is your one year+ advance, and the extra money spent on X360 could easily be justified by that. ... However new gamers out buying this christmas, if they use pure logic, won't find it that way (looking at the games getting subjective feelings about each console, their views may alter).

And it's amazing how much extra money one would have to spend on the 360 to get most of the functionality of the PS3 (and as we see, it can go up to a total of $1000, and you still don't get games taking advantage of the HD-DVD drive in the 360).

I think lalaland did a good job of putting the pricing strategies together. And hey, if you don't use online gaming or care about hi-def movies the 360 is obviously cheaper. But add those options in (just those options, not even the other stuff) and you end up spending 250 dollars($50 annually for 5 years) for online multiplayer and over 200 dollars on the HD-DVD add-on drive for movies.

PS3 gives you online multiplayer for free and has Blu-ray built-in. Even if you don't want to watch Blu-ray movies, the drive benefits you as a consumer because it was put in for games. And if you ever change your mind or upgrade to an HDTV, the option to play hi-def movies is already built in. No unnecessary add-ons or hidden fees required.

Let's forget your examples for a second. I'll compare from my british point of view and your american point of view. ~I only own a computer monitor to play HD games on. Certainly no 1080p for me, and forget HDMI. ~I just installed a wireless modem. it conveniently sits right next to my xbox so I just plug it in with ethernet. ~I don't care about Next gen disk formats yet. ~I enjoy online gaming. I play online with my 360 regularly. Downloading is also big for me. If I lived in America: Xbox 360 premium $399 Xbox live (i'll say two years, but i'll be playing forever if possible) $100 second wired pad (wireless is just a bonus for me, so I bought a wired pad) $40 play and charge kit $15 Total cost: $554 Playsation Cheap package $499 Playsation second wired controller $40(?) Playstation headset $20(?) Total: $559 and I may not even have the option to play the Playstation on my computer monitor unless Sony also release a Vga attachment. As it stands, I live in Britain: Xbox 360 premium £280 2 years xbox live £80 Second wired Pad £18 play and charge kit £10 Total cost £388 Playstation (only one model in UK) £425 headset £15 (?) second wired pad £18(?) Total Cost £458 So to summarise. I benefit from the 360 based on my consumer criteria, as many others inevitably do. I also prefer the games available on the 360, I detest the Bluray scam, the console is delayed till March next year, and games might be more expensive on the PS3. And if you look, because Britain only get one model of PS3, I can buy a £60 wireless adaptor and still pay less.

If you want you 360 have HD DVD movie play back. And to me HD DVD and BR are both un-attractive at this point. I will wait until the summer to see what happens. DVD is still fine until then. I look at it like why buy the add-on when I could buy 2 - 3 games?

You do this from a perspective where you’re purposely being pro PS3. The point is people should buy what will please them. I just may never get the HD DVD drive. All I want is to game and play good games too. The 360 alone dose that. The PS3 is asking too much from gamers. I’m 25 and have been gaming since I was 4 years old. So I’m less impressed with a BR drive in my console than a good game in there and extra cash for more.

Why does no one include the price of the software when comparing prices?! Sony has already stated that the price of its software will be more expensive than the 360. In fact, I believe it was in the Aug issue of PSM in an interview. So lets break it down and keep in mind that I, and most of the gaming public, do not care about HD movies. Also, I don't use WiFi or even half of the 360's HDD.

This is assuming I buy 8 games in one year. This is also assuming no PS3 developer charges for online and this is assuming the PS3 games are either $70 or $80. I doubt they would be more than $80 but as Sony said they would be more expensive than $60, then they will be at least $70. So, as you can see, for me, someone who doesn't use WiFi or HD movies, the 360 is a much better deal and has a more established online service. If the PS3s online is anything like the PS2's, then I don't want it.

For those that want WiFi and HD movies, the two systems are closer in price and the PS3 is a good deal, although I would still be ticked to pay more for Madden even though it's the same game on the 360. For those that don't want or can't use these features, the PS3 is not a good deal. The majority of gamers will not use both of these features so this article is not an accurate representation of the actual cost between both systems for the average consumer.

lalaland, you make a good point. Me being Gamer 3 with my new 40" HDTV get the better offer. Also, I think that for anyone who has a HDTV, a PS3 is the better option, since Blu-Ray will handle HD games on a single disc. DVD-9...well...2 discs atleast. EDIT: Please note- Im not saying the 360 is worse significantly (For now) to a SD gamer. Im saying that the PS3 will be a better choice for HD gaming.

But actually disagree with you. :-) I personally find both consoles will be relatively on par for HD-gaming, while the PS3 will be clearly superior for HD-movie playback compared to cost.

My point is, for hardcore gamers not interested in HD-movies, but who can agree the Core-package of X360 is just not enough (which all hardcore gamers into online gaming would think), the PS3 is actually still the cheaper console when you count everything in except games (because your mileage may vary depending on your taste in games).

And to all the others stating PS3 games will cost $70 or $80.. Please stop... The only thing anybody has ever officially said is, they will cost more than $50 -- but so does most of the X360 games...

EDIT: Ok #9... my bad... I've actually seen it quoted differently in another place (who says $59.99 in an interview when speaking in general terms anyway), but I stand corrected. Sorry! But still... let's see once the official prices are out.

EDIT #8: Actually look at the premise for gamer three... you sound more like gamer two to me. I've got ADSL2 and can't put a cable across my entire flat. I would need 100ft cable and a days of work and drilling holes in my walls to connect my PS3 via cables. WiFi is the only sensible choice to me (and to all my X360-owning friends).

EDIT #5.2 Thammer: No I'm not... If you don't like HD-movie playback, then you'll probably fit my gamer two description better. In wich case the PS3 is still marginally cheaper based on SRP.

What game uses 2 DVD9s? None of the games out on the 360 already or coming out use more than one DVD9. Many of them look at least as good, if not better, than the PS3 games that use Bluray. Therefore, your point is kind of irrelevant.

My comment was mostly opinion/speculation. I should have stated. Also, THAMMER1...is the picture better on a projector than a TV ? Im curious. 96"...*whistles*..damn my man, you got a very nice setup !

I don't see what's so special about a wireless adapter. You can lower the price of Gamer 3 by not purchasing one. I'm not sure how all of your homes are furnished, but my cable jack and cable modem is in the living room by the TV. I don't need wireless, just a 5ft CAT-5 cable.

That's a good point, but aren't you comparing prices now? My point is that you can't compare hardware prices without factoring in the software prices (seeing as you already did that with LIVE). Since Sony said expect PS3 game prices to be higher than the 360's, we've got to assume that that will be the case (it makes sense, too, since bluray discs are more expensive than DVD9 discs).

If you also factor in what the costumer actually wants and/or needs out of the hardware, this changes the comparisions as well. I definately agree, though, that if you want HD movies and WiFi, the PS3 is a good deal. Over time, though, you may still end up paying more because the software is more expensive, but that entirely depends on if you actually buy games. You could always rent them.

However, you must conceed that if you don't want or could use HD movies/WiFi, then the 360 is a better deal, seeing as you have the option with the 360 not to pay for them.

Both systems will have great games, so I'm not going to talk about the quality of games. Sony still has to prove the quality of its online service, however. It also hasn't been decided if PS3 developers will charge or not. The PS2's online sucked, so hopefully Sony does a better job this time.

Blanket comparisons, like the initial article, are misleading and wrong because there are other things to factor in.

Hands down the PS3 is ONLY CHEAPER if you want a Blu-ray drive PC. And the 360 IS CHEAPER as a gaming console. And if blu-ray does end up being the format after 2-3 years. That's a long time to assume which format will win don't you think. And trust me no one with their stats or company allegance can predict which format will win because all that can change in a matter of months.

All the super expensive and very uneccessary features like wifi and wireless are inconsiquential because barely anyone uses that or needs it. The funny thing here is that the PS3 will always need a big HDD because that's what all the games are going to have to use because of Blu-rays slow read time. So it's hard to just compare a 500ps3 with a xbox 360 because the HDD space isn't the same because your gonna use it alot on a PS3. And PS3's online is very undetermined and unproven. The question is if the online was decent or good why would they not disclose it's information?

With the 360 you get the basics. The average gamer dose not need WIFI. No gamer really needs any HD DVD drive.

The only reason why people are disagreeing here is because Sony is making BR standard in their console and Microsoft is not. If you say the 360 has no HD DVD drive and that makes it a weaker console you’re just diluted and blinded by your desire to see the 360 fail. It has already been proven that extra disc capacity is not needed yet.

I do not want the PS3 to fail at all. But I am not in a rush to buy one either. It dose offer a lot of feature as a standard that the 360 dose not but that dose not handy cap the console at all. I see there are people in a rush to give the PS3 a push and I feel you but be real. The PS3 has a lot to offer and you get it standard but you have to pay a steeper cost. The 360 offers what you need with the option to upgrade.

Like my pervious post I’ve had my 360 for a year and it cost me as much as it would to just start off with the PS3. I really do not see much value there.

I actually have a question. I always thought that Blu-Ray discs are needed due to HD content (Cut scenes, entire levels made in HD (I think), etc). So how does a 360 manage to fit it a HD game onto a DVD-9 ? Compression ? If so, then wont the unzipped material be of significantly less quality ? Do not flame me-I am merely interested.

I got my 360 on release day. Premium 360 with remote control unit. $399 2nd wireless controller and headset. $70 Nyko battery charger and two batteries.$30 14 months of Xbox Live. $39 Total. $538 I don't need wireless, my house is fully ethernet wired; I use wireless only for laptops. I don't need the HD drive; it wont play games on the 360 anyway, and when the format war settles out, I'll buy the winning standalone unit. I bought 1 year of live service at Walmart for $39, I got one month free with the XBox package, and another month free with one of the games I bought (I think it was Blazing Angels). So what did I get for the $39 dollars more than the PS3 "core"? Not much, just a full year of next-gen gaming, while Sony fans sit around on their thumbs, wishing and hoping, and whistling "Dixie".

Oh, and incidentally, after a year, I currently have 8 gigs free on the HDD.

when comparing prices like these when all things that ar enot even FINAL. Plz..as far as the PS3 being FREE online I'll believe it when I see it. So right now your comparisons on the prices of the PS3 are still kinda skewed. Maybe after the PS3 is about and we get the low-down on certain things.(online play + game developers Monthly charges + the Games)

As for the Xbox 360 things are somewhat Final as far as pricing. As you can see people are able to get deals and bargins through different stores and online. Plus Bundles will also play an important role this holiday season. I got me a bundle for $479, that came with PG3 + extra wireless conroller with USB charger. I have a no hassle return Policy so I didn't need a warranty with it.

Now that's close to a Grand just to get started. As to the Hardcore/Techie you don't have to worry as you will do anything to get your hands on a new machine. For granpa + grandma and hardworking Moms and Dads thats alot to swallow.

Unfortunately now if I want to upgrade it will cost me more than a PS3 and it will have ZERO gaming functionality.. I like my 360, but that aspect still irritates me to know what could have been better and should have been and simply wasn't only because MS cared about beating Sony to the market.